Chapter 409: Lin Jianying

Chapter 409: Lin Jianying

"Dis...disappeared?"

"How is that possible?"

"How could such a powerful force vanish in an instant?"

...

The sudden disappearance of the attack from Elder Mountain left the onlookers stunned.

In that moment, a single thought flashed through everyone's minds.

"Is it the Gateway?"

Alongside the appearance of the Gateway, an uncontrollable greed emerged.

"It's true, there's no mistake. Only the Gateway could nullify such a terrifying attack!"

"Miss Pang must have a fragment of the Gateway in her possession!"

"And it's not just an ordinary fragment!"

At that moment, countless hearts were filled with insane desire.

They yearned to rush into Elder Mountain and seize the Gateway fragment.

With the power just displayed, whoever possessed it would be virtually invincible.

However, their desires remained just that, as no one dared to act.

After all, this was Elder Mountain.

The mountain hadn't even crumbled, and no one dared to make a move.

Of course, Li Wu was an exception.

When he sensed something amiss, he first froze, then his face lit up with joy.

But his happiness was short-lived, as he couldn't shake off his anxiety.

The commotion caused by that young woman had already far exceeded his imagination, leaving him so flustered that he lost his composure.

Normally, Li Wu would always maintain his rationality.

If it were someone else, if it were Lu Hai Kong instead of Dudu, he wouldn't have come to Elder Mountain.

He understood the principle of not interfering in others' affairs.

But when it came to Dudu, Li Wu couldn't sit still.

Even though he knew his current strength wouldn't make a difference, he couldn't control himself.

Ignoring all else, he rushed towards Elder Mountain.

However, as soon as Li Wu moved, a mysterious force erupted within Elder Mountain.

It was a power Li Wu had never encountered before, an overwhelming force.

This power enveloped the entire Elder Mountain.

At the same time, a strong sense of foreboding washed over him.

His intuition screamed at him.

He couldn't go any further towards Elder Mountain.

To do so would be to court death.

This unfounded fear intensified as Li Wu drew closer.

A hundred li away, his heart raced.

Within a hundred li, he felt his blood rushing.

At fifty li, his scalp tingled.

At twenty li, his body stiffened, and as he neared Elder Mountain, he found himself completely paralyzed.

"Move, why are you stopping? Move, damn it!"

Li Wu desperately willed himself to move.

But it was useless; the overwhelming fear had seized control of his body, rendering him immobile.

The intense fear pinned Li Wu ten li away.

While Li Wu was gripped by fear, the elders within Elder Mountain were no better off.

They had panicked the moment the attack was absorbed.

And with the fragment above Dudu's head erupting, the entire Elder Mountain was surrounded.

The fear they experienced was exponentially more intense than what Li Wu felt.

They realized they weren't just facing Dudu, but the power of the Gateway, a force capable of reshaping the world.

Even though it was just one fragment, its power was beyond their ability to resist.

They truly feared for their lives in the face of this power.

"Miss Pang, please don't kill us. It was Chairman Li's idea to target you, it's not our doing, please spare us!"

"Miss Pang, you can't kill us. We are the Elder Council, the pillars of the Alliance. For decades, we have kept the Alliance stable. Without us, the Alliance will descend into chaos."

"Yes, Miss Pang, if we die, countless unruly forces will emerge.

Outside Zone 1, there's the Ling Organization.

In the shadows of Zone 2, there's the Scientific Alliance.

In Zone 3, the Holy Church Alliance, and in Zone 4, the Chaos Alliance, along with countless other hidden powers.

Without our suppression, they will rise.

They will fight for their interests and the terrifying power displayed today.

The peaceful order we've established will be shattered, and the Alliance will plunge into turmoil.

Can you bear to see the hard-won peace of humanity destroyed?"

"Can you bear to see the peaceful lives of humans once again shattered by war and chaos?"

"For the sake of the Alliance, for the sake of millions of humans, stop this madness!"

...

Dudu stood before the eleven elders, her eyes cold as she witnessed their frantic performances and desperate pleas. With her newfound wisdom, Dudu was capable of making her own judgments. She understood that there was some truth to their words; once they died, the Alliance might very well descend into chaos, and their predictions could come to pass.

But what did any of this have to do with her? Dudu gazed into the distance, still struggling to get closer, and whispered softly, "A little chaos isn't so bad. A little chaos might even improve the environment."

Her words caused the eleven elders' expressions to change. At that very moment, the fragment behind Dudu dimmed, and the power of Elder Mountain vanished. The fear that had enveloped Lu Wu, who was ten miles away, instantly dissipated.

Free from suppression, Lu Wu's face lit up with joy, and he rushed towards Dudu.

Meanwhile, on the side of the eleven elders, they seized the opportunity as the fragment dimmed and broke free from its control. These cunning old foxes immediately realized that Dudu's control over the fragment had faltered.

"Quickly, now's our chance!"

"Seize this opportunity!"

The eleven elders capitalized on this chance and launched an attack on Dudu, aiming to capture her while she struggled to regain control over the fragment.

The aura of the eleven elders erupted once more. This surge overwhelmed Lu Wu, but compared to the previous pressure from the fragment, he gritted his teeth and continued his charge.

On Dudu's side, she seemed unsurprised by the fragment's loss of control.

"So, you did leave a Shadow Gate to reclaim it? But I'm afraid I've made my own preparations!" Dudu whispered.

As she spoke, the dimmed fragment erupted with blindingly brilliant light. In an instant, the fragment's power was fully unleashed, an indescribable force akin to a divine rule of the world.

"Not good..."

"Quickly..."

The eleven elders' faces paled, and they instinctively tried to retreat, but it was too late. The overwhelming power washed over them, dissolving their summon beasts and the eleven elders themselves, erasing their existence from the world in a flash.

Lu Wu, who had just arrived, witnessed this astonishing scene. He was stunned, but his gaze soon shifted to Dudu beside him.

Seeing Dudu, Lu Wu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he couldn't see her attributes, at least from her appearance and aura, she seemed unharmed.

Assured that Dudu was safe, Lu Wu's heart, which had been heavy with worry, lightened. However, his anger couldn't be contained, and it bubbled to the surface.

He wanted nothing more than to grab Dudu and give her a good spanking.

"You're just too reckless..."

"Pfft!"

As Lu Wu began to voice his complaint, a tearing sound ripped through the air. Blood-red petals blossomed on Dudu's neck, a shocking sight that froze Lu Wu in place.

The reality of the situation didn't pause for Lu Wu's shock. As he stood transfixed, three attacks struck Dudu with devastating force: a dazzling golden lightning bolt, a pitch-black longsword brimming with restrained power, and a golden fist enveloped in radiant light.

These three assailants—Fei Yinghao, Zhang Mingge, and Zhao Xue En—had seemingly been completely eradicated moments ago. Yet, not only had they survived, but they had also launched a successful counterattack, killing Dudu.

This outcome wasn't entirely unexpected. After all, these eleven individuals had lived through the previous era, each of them a cunning and formidable force that had dominated an entire century.

Dudu's previous attack had only eliminated about half of them, and while the survivors had suffered significant damage, they remained alive.

At that moment, Lu Wu didn't bother questioning how they had survived. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that from the instant Dudu died before his eyes, Lu Wu had lost the ability to think rationally.

The boundless rage and murderous intent consumed Lu Wu, causing him to instinctively draw the Heavenswept Cloud Sword and slash at the injured elders who had reappeared.

Fueled by his fury, Lu Wu unleashed an unprecedented strike.

Elder Mountain was instantly shrouded in dark clouds, and an unimaginable force, akin to divine punishment, descended.

Divine Judgment rained down upon the elders in front of Lu Wu.

However, at that very moment, their attention was entirely focused on the fragment left behind by Dudu, and no one seemed to care about Lu Wu.

No one even noticed Lu Wu's attack.

As they completely ignored him, Lu Wu's Divine Judgment fell upon them, striking their bodies.

As a result, the seemingly frail and exhausted elders, who could barely stand, managed to withstand the damage solely through their passive abilities.

This realization made Lu Wu feel weaker than ever.

"Power!"

"I need strength!"

Lu Wu was determined to unleash the most extreme Beast Soul Explosion to gain power at all costs.

Just then, on Dudu's side, her shattered body dripped a drop of blood onto the fragment.

The next moment, the fragment, which had already burst once, erupted with power once more.

Elder Eleven's expression changed.

"What's happening?"

"Isn't she dead?"

......

The remaining elders instinctively unleashed various skills to resist the fragment's renewed burst of power.

At that moment, Lu Wu's eyes turned crimson, and he activated the Infinite Universe domain without regard for any resistance.

"Boom!"

As Lu Wu opened the Infinite Universe domain, an unimaginable torrent of information flooded his mind.

Lu Wu could only withstand the onslaught for a few seconds before passing out.

In the instant he fainted, a person appeared out of thin air and grabbed Lu Wu.

Taking advantage of the elders' resistance to the fragment, they disappeared with Lu Wu.

Soon after, the bursting fragment also vanished.

With the fragment's disappearance, the eruption ceased, and the remaining elders narrowly escaped another calamity. However, their faces were grim.

"Disappeared? How could it disappear?"

"Lu Wu is gone too!"

"Who saved Lu Wu? And what's the connection between the rescuer and the fragment?"

"Wait!"

At that moment, a name flashed through the minds of the remaining elders.

Lin Jianying!

"Is it him? Did he save the person and retrieve the fragment?"

"So far, it seems like the only explanation."

The realization made the elders' faces turn pale.

"What's going on? First, Pang Dudu goes crazy and kills half of our elders at Elder Mountain with the power of the fragment.

We barely managed to send her away, and now Lin Jianying shows up and takes the fragment?

Does this mean what happened today could happen again? Can we, the remaining elders, withstand it a second time?"

"No, we must capture Lin Jianying and Lu Wu, and the fragment must be retrieved!

Let's go, they can't have gone far!"

The remaining elders, clearly shaken by the fragment's eruption, were ready to act, their attention solely on the fragment.

However, Zhao Xuen had deeper concerns: "It's not just about Lin Jianying and the fragment anymore.

Pang Dudu was clearly manipulated.

Her role was to severely weaken us, and she succeeded.

With her causing such chaos, some of us are dead, and others are injured. The chairman is absent, and Elder Mountain is at its weakest historical state. If someone were to strike us now..."

Zhao Xuen's words sent a shiver through the remaining elders.

The planned pursuit was forced to halt.

Everyone retreated into Elder Mountain.

The battered Elder Mountain was under the highest alert.

This scene was observed by those with hidden intentions, including Zhang Yuni.

She gazed at Elder Mountain, a slight smile on her lips.

"Well done, it's time I check on that girl."

With that, Zhang Yuni vanished from her spot.

The next moment, she appeared in a secret base in the north of the river.

Deep within this base was a massive crystal coffin, and inside it lay a chubby girl.

As Zhang Yuni appeared, the chubby girl in the crystal coffin opened her hazy eyes...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end